Blog

The Tea Box Express September box will feature tea from Loose Leaf Tea Market. Kita, the company's owner, is an herbalist who focuses on blending teas in small batches using fresh organic ingredients. She shares more with us about how she creates her blends and what sets Loose Leaf Tea Market apart.

How did Loose Leaf Tea Market get started and how long has it been around?

Although I have had this business since 2002, Loose Leaf Tea Market is a newly rebranded and upgraded version of a concept that not only had the herbs and teas, but also a restaurant. In 2015, we focused all of our attention on tea, streamlined the business, and rebranded the concept. Loose Leaf as it is now is just over a year old, but I have been doing tea since 2002.

You offer a huge variety of teas, from traditional black and green teas to herbal blends aimed at certain functions (mood, digestion, etc.). What inspires your interesting blends and how do you choose the ingredients?

Some of our blends are inspired by customer requests or basic health support, like inflammation, digestion, or sinus congestion. Some of the more creative and tasty blends are the result of wanting to make awesomely delicious teas that are 100% healthy and have zero artificial ingredients. I'm a very curious and creative person, and I love to explore flavor creation, and adventurous blending. It's quite similar to cooking; you can make a functional dish to feed your hunger, or you can get creative and make something memorable. All of the ingredients have to be healthy and wholesome, and organic whenever possible. If I can't get the flavor I'm looking for in a tea with botanical ingredients, I scrap the idea and try something else, rather than rely on chemical flavorings to fill in any flavor gaps.

I'm really picky about ingredients. Our herbs, teas, and other ingredients come from all over the world from ethical suppliers who only source organic, wild harvested, and fairly traded products.

Which Loose Leaf Tea Market teas are your favorite?

That's a trick question, right? Although I like them all, here are the ones I drink every day: Coffee Quitter in the morning, Sleek & Slender in the afternoon, and a mix of any of these: Stomach Soothing, Wild & Weedy, and Inflammation Relief.

What makes Loose Leaf Tea Market different from some of the bigger tea companies that you see in the malls and grocery stores?

There are a few things that differentiate our teas from some of the bigger companies. 1. We use organic and wild harvested ingredients whenever possible, which makes up over 95% of our ingredient list. This means there are no pesticide residues in your tea. 2. We never use artificial flavorings. 3. We blend our teas by hand in small batches so that they're fresh and flavorful.